Yesterday, Mumbai recorded 506 fresh Covid cases, the highest daily count since February 6.
Testing for Covid will be ramped up in Mumbai as the test positivity rate in the city has jumped to six per cent, the civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or BMC, said today. It has asked officials to immediately increase testing "on war footing". Testing labs have also been asked to be proactive and fully staffed.
"Daily new cases have tremendously increased in Mumbai, with monsoon around the corner, we will now see a rapid rise in symptomatic cases," it warned.
The BMC has further asked for the vaccination drive in the 12-18 years category, and booster doses, to be pushed aggressively. Fearing another sharp rise in symptomatic cases, the civic body has asked for jumbo field hospitals to be kept adequately staffed and on alert now.
Private hospitals have also been asked to be on alert. Other readiness measures like reviewing the status of ward war rooms to ensure they are fully equipped with staff, medical teams, and ambulances have been ordered.
If hospitalisation increases in the coming days, the jumbo hospital in Malad is to be used on priority.
Yesterday, Mumbai recorded 506 fresh Covid cases, the highest daily count since February 6 (536 cases) this year.
Mumbai has witnessed a more than 100 per cent increase in the number of Covid cases reported in May as compared to the cases reported in April this year.